Tesco plans to introduce a 'tech team' into stores with an electrical department in a bid to advise shoppers on gadgets and technology.

Supermarket to hire 1,000 techies

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Tesco plans to introduce a 'tech team' into stores with an electrical department to advise shoppers on gadgets and technology.

It is thought the service, which has already been trialled in a number of stores and has boosted non-food sales by 10 percent, will be launched as part of the supermarket's plan to safeguard itself against the UK launch of US tech retailer Best Buy.

Best Buy announced in March that it plans to open five stores across the UK this year, starting with Thurrock in Essex, which open in May.

Each Best Buy store boasts a team of 'blueshirts' who advise customers on technology purchases.

Tesco said it will be employing 1,000 members of staff for its 'tech teams', which will appear in branches with an electrical department.

The staff will not earn commission and will not stock shelves or work on checkouts in other parts of the store.

"Best Buy's stores are awesome. I don't think a supermarket can compete with that, even with extra staff, because they don't have the depth of range," Bryan Roberts, retail analyst at Planet Retail told The Guardian.